The microfinance institution I have been working with, through Kiva, is called BRAC, Building Resources Across Communities. Since 1972, BRAC has been tackling the various dimensions of poverty through its holistic approach to poverty alleviation. BRAC has programs in economic and social development, health, education, and human rights and legal services. Operating in several countries [...]
KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class)
BRAC Southern Sudan
December 3rd, 2008 — , BRAC South Sudan, BRAC Southern Sudan John Ohsio, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Sudan, africa from ankushdhupar @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Candles and Converters
December 3rd, 2008 — , Alidé, Benin, Cotonou, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), africa from catch22sl @ Kiva Stories from the Field
After a few days, I felt mostly adjusted. I liked what was I doing and I had gotten used to fans only at night. I was sitting at Alide at 3pm at Friday when the electricity went out. The A/C stopped its whir, the computers had to be turned off to save battery. The water [...]
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December 3rd, 2008 — , Abby Gray, Agouti, Frozen Animal, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Togo, Uncategorized, WAGES, africa, microfinance from abbygray @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Most people reading this blog already agree that microfinance is a promising way to help people work their way out of poverty in a dignified manner. I agree, obviously, or I wouldn’t be here in Togo. It is heartwarming, and we should be inspired by it. But we should also be critical of it, to [...]
Related StoresContinue reading → How Your Loan Affects an MFI: Behind the Scenes of Microfinance
Reservoir Microloans
December 2nd, 2008 — , AMK, Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea (AMK), Cambodia, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva, credit officers, disbursement, kampong cham, microfinance, microloans, no fear, village bank from kieranball @ Kiva Stories from the Field
In my first week at Kiva’s rising-star field partner, AMK Cambodia, I was lucky enough to go on a two-day trip to the Kampong Cham province with the aim of meeting some Kiva clients and taking some photos for the AMK marketing department.
Over the 36 hours I took around 1500 photos - partly because Cambodians [...]
No Ordinary Day
December 1st, 2008 — , BRAC Uganda, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), PEARL Microfinance, Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Not long ago, I was trapped in a mind numbing corporate cubicle, devoid of spirit, trading my time for money. I fantasized about days like this. Well, not exactly.
Grace didn’t tell me we were going into the field today. I was wearing my best clothes - navy blue slacks, a [...]
Holiday Shopping in Tajikistan
December 1st, 2008 — , KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), MLF MicroInvest, MLF MicroInvest-Tajikistan, Rob Cavese, Tajikistan from Rob Cavese @ Kiva Stories from the Field
It was a typical Sunday in Khujand. I slept late until 9am and wandered out for some breakfast and tea. I haven’t quite mastered the art of making instant coffee (ground coffee is non-existent) so I just don’t bother. I’ve had it in restaurants and with the right mix of crystals, sugar and water [...]
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November 29th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), honduras, svisher from Sierra Visher @ Kiva Stories from the Field
I am sitting quietly in the cool, green room of a family operated hostel called Dos Molinos in San Pedro Sula. Shortly I will leave for a long bus ride to Tegucigalpa where I meet up with Prisma staff who will show me to my new home.
As I prepare for Monday, when I want to [...]
Wednesday saves the week
November 28th, 2008 — , Cameroon, Ghape, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) from jenmcq @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Wednesday morning was a blast. I had to get up at 5 and get ready to go into the field alone. It was my first time to go alone, but I had set up a meeting with some of the clients from one of the centers in town so I could do a [...]
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November 28th, 2008 — , Bosnia and Herzegovina, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva Fellows, Milena Arciszewski from milena08 @ Kiva Stories from the Field
In honor of the brilliant Tanzanian posts: http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2008/10/10/you-know-you%E2%80%99re-in-tanzania-when%E2%80%A6vol-iii/
You know you’re in Bosnia when…
1. Any healthy foods must always be accompanied by sausage.
2. Your coworkers refer to annoying things as “liver” because “they cause the liver to feel pain.”
3. People mix their wine with coca cola.
4. The most popular musicians are over the age of 40, [...]
pero yo hago tamales….
November 27th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), mexico from McT @ Kiva Stories from the Field
but I make tamales
I spend most of my time meeting small business owners who have received funds through ADMIC, the local non-profit microfinance institution, using Kiva funds. I have this opportunity to enter people’s homes and hear them talk about the development of their businesses. Yesterday I met three women who make and sell tamales.
While [...]
A Muslim from Togo
November 27th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) from catch22sl @ Kiva Stories from the Field
“We thought you were a Muslim from Togo,” the Director of Alidé told me on the way out of the Benin airport.
“Pardon?” I asked, wondering if I had heard correctly.
“You see,” he explained, “Lawson is a common Togolese name, even sometimes a Beninese one, and in West Africa Sarah is usually a Muslim name. So I [...]
The art and science of communication
November 26th, 2008 — , CRAN, Cassie DeFillipo, Ghana, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) from cdefillipo @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Language is said to be the thing that separates man from animal. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow. It is also the way in which we can most easily communicate our deepest thoughts and desires with another. It is [...]
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November 25th, 2008 — , Aqroinvest, Azerbaijan, Baku, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Komak, Normicro, corruption, mark bulliet, mcdonalds, transition economy from kivamark @ Kiva Stories from the Field
I’ve been in Azerbaijan for just over six weeks now, but I this is my first blog post since my arrival.
I haven’t known what to say, really. It’s not that I’ve been awed into silence by the exoticness of this Caucasus nation. I live in Baku, and we have six McDonald’s (so I hear — [...]
Rai’s Way
November 25th, 2008 — , Asia & the Pacific, Countries, Dian Bhuana Lestari Foundation (Dinari), Indonesia, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva, Kiva Fellow, Kiva Fellows, Kiva Field Partners, Lander Burr from lburr @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Across from DINARI Foundation’s office, there is a large concrete lot with two long warehouses lining the perimeter. In the middle of the lot, blue tarps covered three mounds that were perhaps fifteen feet in diameter. In the morning, workers removed the tarps, revealing piles of what looked like sand as high as the men’s [...]
Related StoresSometimes the Most Boring Client is Really the Most Interesting
November 24th, 2008 — , International Micro-Loan Fund (IMON), KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Tajikistan, Uncategorized, carrie ferrence, imon from Carrie Ferrence @ Kiva Stories from the Field
In the past week I have met with almost 50 clients, which is way more than I met in the previous six weeks combined. I should feel inspired and excited by that accomplishment, but I mostly feel tired and battered. That’s because all of the clients I met with were BORING! I’m [...]
Continue reading → Sometimes the Most Boring Client is Really the Most Interesting
Culinary Delights in Vietnam
November 24th, 2008 — , Add new tag, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Thanh Hoa, Vietnam from jamesm1969 @ Kiva Stories from the Field
My mother grew up during WWII. She can make a little go a long way. But she’s no match for the Vietnamese. A couple of nights ago, at my translator’s house, we had chicken.
Not chicken breasts or chicken thighs but chicken vertebrae. The amount of meat on a chicken’s vertebra is virtually nil. Common [...]
Phnom Penh to Kandal Province in 5 minutes
November 20th, 2008 — , AMK, Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea (AMK), Angkor Mikroheranhvatho Kampuchea, Cambodia, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva, Uncategorized, extreme fear, kandal, microfinance, moto, phnom penh from kieranball @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Microfinance in Action
November 20th, 2008 — , Cameroon, Ghape, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) from jenmcq @ Kiva Stories from the Field
This week has been completely exhausting, but one of the best weeks I’ve had here. I’ve been out in the field every morning this week—I still have tomorrow morning as well. Some of the centers have been quite far away, requiring me to leave at around 5:45 or so in the morning and catching a [...]
Related StoresShine on Sierra Leone, Shine On…
November 20th, 2008 — , Adam Grenier, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Salone Microfinance Trust, Sierra Leone from adamgrenier @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Excerpt from recent conversation with Archibald Shodeke, Finance Manager, SMT:
Archibald: “Would you like to participate in a market survey of the Waterloo district near Freetown? We are considering a partnership with a U.S. based organization called Shine on Sierra Leone that may enable us to open a branch office there. They heard of us through the [...]
Moving Right Along…
November 19th, 2008 — , Josh Bull, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva, edaprospo, human capital, peru from joshtoro @ Kiva Stories from the Field
With 7 weeks past and 8 weeks to go, my Kiva Fellowship is moving right along. As my colleagues around the world, from Cambodia to Uganda to Peru can attest, much of the Kiva Fellow’s life is spent in motion. Already I have had two days where the number of hours spent on buses to [...]
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November 19th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) from jennyballen @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Well here I am! The sweltering, tropical, humid jungle capital of Pucallpa. I just moved here from the coastal town of Trujillo three days ago and I’ll be starting the second and final stint as a KF6 fellow for Manuela Ramos. A former Kiva fellow hooked me up with a family here in the heart [...]
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November 18th, 2008 — , BRAC South Sudan, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Sudan, africa, kiva fellows ankush dhupar kf6 sudan from ankushdhupar @ Kiva Stories from the Field
What originally started as a college senior’s feeble attempt to plan his future has finally become a reality: I am now in Sudan. After a 21-hour flight from Los Angeles to Uganda, three days of waiting in Uganda to get a Sudanese visa, and a one hour (scary) flight from Entebbe to Juba, I finally [...]
Related StoresContinue reading → Sudan: Recovering from the Atrocities of War
Thoughts on the Srebrenica Massacre in Bosnia
November 17th, 2008 — , Bosnia and Herzegovina, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Milena Arciszewski, Zene za Zene International (Women for Women), genocide from milena08 @ Kiva Stories from the Field
In 2004, the International Criminal Tribunal ruled unanimously that the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia in 1995 was genocide.
I visited Srebrenica last week. I put together a video with a little history, photographs, and an interview with a Kiva Borrower whose husband was killed in the war and whose life has never fully recovered. I hate to [...]
Continue reading → Thoughts on the Srebrenica Massacre in Bosnia
Getting Started in Peru
November 16th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), peru from loriospina @ Kiva Stories from the Field
I have been in Peru for two weeks now, but I have been struggling to blog about my experience so far. I’ve been waiting for a remarkable moving microfinance success story to share, or some powerful insight into the people of Peru or an individual that I have met that I can write about. Unfortunately [...]
Related StoresA Ghost Called Specioza
November 16th, 2008 — , BRAC Uganda, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), PEARL Microfinance, Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
They seem to always be where you are, which is to say everywhere, as repellant and inescapable as a maelstrom of gnats. Step around one and you bump into another. You politely wave them off and mumble “no, thanks” with a disingenuous smile. Making eye contact might suggest interest or intent; or worse, [...]
Related StoresHKL promotion
November 15th, 2008 — , Cambodia, Hattha Kaksekar Limited, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) from kanaeochiai @ Kiva Stories from the Field
It has passed 1 month since I started work with Hattha Kaksekar Limited(HKL) in Cambodia.
I’d like to post how HKL works, how the staffs are etc because I hope many people know more and feel something familiar with the MFI.
Firstly let me describe one day in HKL. The office hour is 7:30 a.m. To [...]
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November 13th, 2008 — , Abby Gray, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Togo, Uncategorized, WAGES, africa from abbygray @ Kiva Stories from the Field
This is my first post from the field, and, unfortunately, I’m not writing to share an inspiring microfinance success story or even a heartwarming cross-cultural anecdote, as I was hoping I would be. I am writing to tell about a conversation that threw an uncomfortably bright spotlight directly on the basis of my being here [...]
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November 13th, 2008 — , KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), MLF MicroInvest-Tajikistan, Microinvest, Rob, Tajikistan from Rob @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Having researched Tajikistan’s economy prior to arriving here, I had a difficult time reconciling the numbers. It has a literacy rate of 95% and fairly high costs of goods like a developed country yet exceptionally low per capita incomes of some $340 similar to those of the poorest in the world. How does an educated [...]
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November 12th, 2008 — , Cassie DeFillipo, Christian Rural Aid Network, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva from cdefillipo @ Kiva Stories from the Field
What does an African country do in the aftermath of election violence in its neighbors, including Kenya and Zimbabwe? In the case of Ghana, about to hold its presidential elections in December, it takes the mere thought of election violence very seriously and starts a country-wide campaign against it.
Africa is a very big place, [...]
Celebrating the Election and a Wedding
November 11th, 2008 — , International Micro-Loan Fund (IMON), KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva Fellow, Tajikistan, Uncategorized, carrie ferrence, imon from Carrie Ferrence @ Kiva Stories from the Field
I wanted to share two really beautiful events from the past week: celebrating the election and attending my first Tajik wedding.
The U.S. Election
Contrary to the excitement that most were feeling on election day, I was feeling lousy. Here we were, on the edge of something truly great, and I was not able to participate. Of [...]
The Sari of Kerti Moses
November 9th, 2008 — , Asia & the Pacific, Countries, Dian Bhuana Lestari Foundation (Dinari), Indonesia, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva, Kiva Fellow, Kiva Fellows, Kiva Field Partners, Lander Burr from lburr @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Kerti Moses and his wife Endang had one of the biggest homes I had seen in almost fifty visits to DINARI Foundation’s clients. The exposed concrete foundation elevated the house above the nearby dwelling of one of the couple’s workers. The entire floor was covered in big ceramic tiles printed like green marble, and the [...]
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November 8th, 2008 — , Ankush, BRAC, BRAC South Sudan, Dhupar, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva, Sudan, Uganda, africa, juba from ankushdhupar @ Kiva Stories from the Field
ankush.dhupar@fellows.kiva.org
MDG3
November 7th, 2008 — , BRAC Uganda, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Micro Credit Development Trust SACCO (MCDT), PEARL Microfinance, Uganda from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Poverty is a riot of inconsistencies and mysterious shades of complexity. Today, after a long week in the field, I’m wondering how anyone could possibly work their way out of the despair they inherited with birth when so many forces conspire against them, especially women.
Poverty is defined as a condition of unacceptable material deprivation, according [...]
Related StoresKiva in Cambodia: The Comic Book
November 6th, 2008 — , Cambodia, John Briggs, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. from John Briggs @ Kiva Stories from the Field
I’m a new Kiva Fellow volunteering with Maxima, a microfinance institution (MFI) headquartered in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. I arrived in Phnom Penh about three weeks ago, and had the luxury of a week to acclimate before starting at Maxima.
My arrival coincided with a visit to Cambodia by Kiva co-founder Matt Flannery [...]
The Lights Went out (for a walk?)
November 5th, 2008 — , Dominican Republic, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kalie Gold, Santiago, electricity, esperanza international from kaliegold @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Santiago, DR
Romance languages are famous for invoking visual imagery, symbolism, and subtlety in phrasings and word choice. In the Spanish-speaking world, the language maps out like a watershed: tributaries flowing from Spain to the Caribbean, from California to South America, and everywhere in between. The bedrock of European Spanish has long since been [...]
A Day in the Field
November 5th, 2008 — , Cameroon, Ghape, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) from jenmcq @ Kiva Stories from the Field
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Universal Language: Obama
November 5th, 2008 — , Add new tag, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kenya, obama from davidalexanderstewart @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Just shout it out: Obama! On the streets off Kenya, this gets you cheeers and hoots and offers off friendship and prayers…a good word, indeed.
It is good to be American in Kenya, that much I can say. Nairobi was not totally wild, but I definitely got shouts from buses and Matatus all day long. People [...]
Ukrainian Perspectives on the US Presidential Election
November 4th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Ukraine from Evie @ Kiva Stories from the Field
The top news story today around the world is the US Presidential Election. Here in Ukraine, the banner headline on the English-language newspaper Kyiv Post is “US Voters Go to the Polls.” Ukraine has its own specific interest in the election results; the citizens here believe that the next President can either save or damn [...]
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Continue reading → Ukrainian Perspectives on the US Presidential Election
“Is That Mayonnaise on the Couscous?” and other Tales from Freetown
November 4th, 2008 — , Adam Grenier, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Salone Microfinance Trust, Sierra Leone from adamgrenier @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Do you remember the scene from Pulp Fiction where Samuel L. Jackson’s character was stupefied by the French’s fondness for putting mayonnaise on their french fries, as described by John Travolta’s character? I was equally stupefied when I received my first meal made in a Sierra Leonean restaurant this week. I ordered the chicken. What [...]
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Continue reading → “Is That Mayonnaise on the Couscous?” and other Tales from Freetown
Buses and Productivity
November 3rd, 2008 — , Josh Bull, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva, edaprospo, peru from joshtoro @ Kiva Stories from the Field
When you spend 7 hours a day on buses to visit only a handful of clients, an over-ambitious Kiva Fellow may start to feel like his dream of unprecedented productivity is slipping through his fingers. Sometimes all it takes is a 30 minute conversation with a kindly grandmother to change that misperception.
I visited EDAPROSPO branches in Huaycan [...]
A Party and a Funeral
November 3rd, 2008 — , CRAN, Cassie DeFillipo, Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN), Ghana, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class) from cdefillipo @ Kiva Stories from the Field
I take a break from my normal broadcasting about microfinance to discuss a special event. This weekend I had an invitation to attend a funeral a couple hours away in a part of the country I have never been to. I was invited by my friend and co-worker Lawrence, but I live with Lawrence’s mother’s [...]
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November 3rd, 2008 — , Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Milena Arciszewski, Women for Women International, Zene Za Zene, Zene za Zene International (Women for Women) from milena08 @ Kiva Stories from the Field
I made a video to capture a borrower visit in Bosnia. Learn about sheep reproduction AND witness an attempted dog attack!
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The incredible shrinking country…
October 29th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Khujand, MLF MicroInvest, MLF MicroInvest-Tajikistan, Microinvest, Rob, Tajikistan, Uncategorized from Rob @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Tajikistan is quickly becoming a nation of women and children… and a diminishing number at that. The low incomes and lack of jobs have resulted in more and more men leaving for Russia to send money back to the family. With a minimum wage here of 20 Somoni ($6 US), people are working multiple jobs, [...]
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October 29th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), SPBD, Samoa, South Pacific Business Development from eviatar @ Kiva Stories from the Field
For those of you who know me as Eviatar (or do not know me at all), I am now Galumalemana, or Gali for short. This is my Samoan name, bestowed upon me by some of the loan officers during my “initiation” on my first Friday night here. The event included some rugby rituals, a healthy [...]
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October 29th, 2008 — , International Micro-Loan Fund (IMON), KF6, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Tajikistan, Uncategorized, carrie ferrence, cotton, imon, kiva fellows 6 from Carrie Ferrence @ Kiva Stories from the Field
It’s easy to tell when cotton season has arrived in Tajikistan, not because of a change in temperature or rainfall but because university students start disappearing from the city. Each Fall universities throughout Tajikistan come to a standstill as hoards of students are sent to do unofficially mandatory labor in the cotton fields. They are [...]
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October 29th, 2008 — , K-MET, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kenya, Kisumu, Kusumu Medical & Education Trust (K-MET), africa, sarah forbes from scmforbes @ Kiva Stories from the Field
When I last corresponded with you, dear Kiva Fellows Blog reader, I was still in my home country, chucking trespassing snakes out of my house and considering whether just one bottle of Pepto-Bismol would be enough for 10 months on a foreign continent.
I write to you now from my desk at K-MET, in Kisumu Kenya, [...]
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Continue reading → Welcome to the 3 K’s: K-MET, Kisumu, Kenya
For Daniel
October 27th, 2008 — , Asia & the Pacific, Countries, Dian Bhuana Lestari Foundation (Dinari), Indonesia, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Kiva Field Partners, Lander Burr from lburr @ Kiva Stories from the Field
From the executive director’s hand gestures, I gathered that Daniel had been blindsided when another motorbike cut across an intersection. Daniel was one of DINARI Foundation’s loan officers, but he was also in charge of a pilot project teaching loan clients how to use stoves fueled by coconut oil. He had been training DINARI’s staff [...]
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October 25th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), PEARL Microfinance, Uganda, bill brick from Bill Brick @ Kiva Stories from the Field
We exited the main highway to Jinja, somewhere between Lugazi and Njeri. It’s an obscure and easily missed unimproved road, and not one I would guess leads anywhere. The dirt track is peppered with fissures and ruts and undulations, and winds slowly through countless hectares of banana and pineapple trees. Uganda is blessed with fertile [...]
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October 25th, 2008 — , KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER, peru from jennyballen @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Yesterday in Chongoyape- a farming town one hour north of Trujillo, Perú - I attended the monthly meeting of Manos Unidas, the “United Hands” communal bank that serves the women of Congoyape, Lipote and Saucipe.
Our meeting starts at 3:00 pm sharp and Mara the loan officer is counting up the vouchers the women are turning in [...]
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October 24th, 2008 — , Cameroon, Ghape, KF6 (Kiva Fellows 6th Class), jenmcq from jenmcq @ Kiva Stories from the Field
Tuesday was fairly eventful, I left my apartment by 6 am to meet Beatrice at the Mbengwi moto park on the other side of town. Within seconds of standing at the side of the road, a bike-taxi had stopped and we were haggling over prices. We agreed on 200 CFA (around 40 cents) for around [...]
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